


Three men and a baby

by bunnysworld



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Fluff and Crack, M/M, Mpreg, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-31
Updated: 2013-07-31
Packaged: 2017-12-21 23:09:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/906050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunnysworld/pseuds/bunnysworld
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur and Percival shared this one night and have to face the consequences. How will Merlin react?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Three men and a baby

“What is wrong with you, Percival?” Arthur cornered the big knight in the armory. “You can’t seem to focus on anything lately, you get slow, you don’t react…”

Percival chewed on his lower lip and tried to bite back the tears. “I…I don’t know, Sire.”

“Something must have happened. It’s not like you at all to cry when I ask you simple questions.”

“I…I…,” Percival wiped a tear off his cheek. “Remember that night?”

Did he remember the night? Of course he did. That one night where he had given in, the night where he had called Percival to his chambers, the night that had ended in sweat and grunts and swollen lips and bite marks and the bloody best sex he’d had in ages. “Yes, what about it?”

Percival couldn’t meet his eyes. “That night had…consequences.” Protectively he held a big hand to his belly. 

Arthur blinked. Once. Twice. At least three times. “Consequences…”

The big knight just nodded.

“You’re…you’re with child?”

“Yes, Sire.”

Arthur felt like something had knocked the air out of him. The time he’d spent with Percival was before his idiot of a manservant had finally returned his feelings. That night with Percival was just to relieve tension, to satisfy needs. And they’d both known it. He had never confessed this night to Merlin. It wasn’t any of his business what he did before they got together. But now…

“Are you sure?”

Percival sniffled. “Of course I’m sure. And Gaius said people would be able to see it soon. I…I don’t know what to do.”

When Arthur just stood there, Percival turned and left, throwing the door shut with a bang. 

+++

“That’s a fine predicament you’ve brought yourself in, knight of Camelot!” 

The old crow in her strange black dress gave Percival the shivers. But his head shot up when she addressed him. “How do you…?”

“Only one person could have sent you here, my friend, and you wouldn’t be able to go see him if you weren’t a soldier of the King.”

She walked around him, looking him up and down. “Such a good-looking young man…it’s a shame.”

“They said you could help me.” Percival wasn’t sure about this, but it seemed to be the only way.

The woman shook her head and cupped his cheek with her bony hand. “You don’t really want that, gorgeous, do you?”

“I…I don’t know what to do,” he admitted and finally sat down. His chainmail vest started to gap in the front and he had to put another hole in his belt. And to explain why he threw up every morning when he wasn’t even down at the tavern with everybody else got more complicated each day. 

“You love children. They say you once rescued three of them at once with those big arms of yours.” She slid a finger down his biceps and Percival had a hard time to not make a face.

“Let’s face it, knight.” She grabbed his chin and made him look up at her. “You want that child and it could help you, too.”

“Help me?”

“After all, it will be the heir to the throne of Camelot. It will raise your social status at court.”

“I will be the one who gave Camelot a bastard. I’m a knight, I’m there to fight for the kingdom, not go give it children. I want it gone.” No, he didn’t, but it was the only solution.

“No, Sir Knight, you don’t. Go home, sleep on it again, talk to the prince and find a way to raise this child. I am not the solution you’re looking for.”

++++

 

“Merlin,” Arthur took a deep breath, “I need to tell you something.”

Putting the tray down that he had brought up from the kitchen, Merlin eyed Arthur, a little frown on his face. 

“Before we…I mean…before you and I…, there was this night…” He really didn’t know how to tell his lover that he had cheated on him before they were even together.

“There were many nights before you finally figured out that we belong together, _Sire_.”

“Yes, but…I made a mistake. I spent a night with another man. It didn’t really mean anything, it was just that, one night.”

“There is no need to tell me that, Arthur. I spent nights with other men, too, before we came together. Just not since. Did you…?” What was Arthur trying to tell him? Was he cheating on him? Merlin’s stomach turned into a knot.

“No. But that one night…Merlin, that man is with child.” There, he’d said it, blurted it out. And watched Merlin paling. 

“With child? How did that happen? Is he…is he a sorcerer?” Another warlock, and he never noticed, that could be dangerous.

“Not that I know of.” Arthur stepped close. “Merlin, can you forgive me?”

“That you were with someone when we weren’t together yet? There is nothing to forgive. But we have to find out, how it happened.” Merlin’s mind was racing. Who was the man? And how was it possible that…”You’re born of magic, maybe that’s the key. You might not be a warlock yourself, but magic might be responsible for this!”

Arthur didn’t say anything. 

“I just have one question. Who?” 

+++

“SORCERY!!!!!!” Uther had jumped up and pointed accusingly at Percival. “Throw him into the dungeons!”

“But father!”

“There is no ‘but’, Arthur. This man enchanted you to get to the throne. Sorcery is banned from the lands of Camelot, he will be executed by morning!”

Merlin swallowed hard and watched as Percival, who hadn’t said a word in his defense, let himself being led out of the throne room by his fellow knights. 

He liked Percival, he was his friend. And he was easy to look at and always helping out a friend in need. And even though he knew that this could change everything between Arthur and him, that Arthur could leave him to be with Percival and their child, he didn’t want the man to be killed just because of the king’s irrational hate for magic. 

So he exchanged a look with Arthur and nodded slightly. 

+++

The dungeons of Camelot weren’t exactly known to keep prisoners inside, so it had been quite easy to get Percival out. Gwaine had waited at the outskirts of town with their horses and after some quick hugs, the three men left, hoping Gwaine would do his best to destroy their traces. 

Merlin had taken them to a hut close enough to Ealdor. It wasn’t the safest place. The crown prince and a knight of Camelot on Cendred’s ground would have been enough to start a war. But from here, he could wander into the village and get all the supplies they needed. 

“Mother!” he called out softly, “Mother, I think it’s time.”

Hunith appeared in the doorway, pulled her shawl around her shoulders and grabbed a backpack. “Did you do everything I told you?”

“Yes, I did. He was perfectly fine, but I think the contractions set in about two hours ago.”

They hurried through the dark woods. “Did you check if…”

“Yes, mother. Like you predicted, the birth canal is there, the baby wants to be born.”

She stopped for a moment and looked up at her son. “You must love him very much.”

“I do. Even though he might be happier with Percival now.” Merlin looked away.

Shaking her head, Hunith reached for his hand and squeezed it. “I think you three got enough love to share.”

They made it back to the hut on time and Percival delivered a perfectly healthy baby boy about four hours later. 

+++

Arthur sat in front of the hut and held the little bundle in his arms, just looking at the black hair and the cute sticking out ears and the long black lashes as Hunith stepped next to him.

“Good morning, Arthur.”

“Hunith, it’s good to see you.”

“I just wanted to check on little Luther to see if he’s alright.”

“He’s perfect. Hunith, I haven’t held many children in my life, but when I hold him, he’s…look at his face. And the blue eyes. And the black hair…”

Hunith looked at the bundle and smiled. “Yeah…he looks just like Merlin did as a baby.”

Arthur stared at her. It all made sense now. For months he’d wondered why Merlin had stuck around. Why he had done anything to make Percival comfortable. Why he had done every magic possible to make sure the baby would be born. Why he took care of them all. And there it was, the reason why Merlin hadn’t left him. He held it in his arms.

“ _MERLIN!_ ”

**Author's Note:**

> It's an open secret that I'm not too fond of mpreg. But when it took me too long to claim a prompt in the mpreg fest and it was gone when I'd finally made up my mind, I had this idea. And it wanted to be written.
> 
> Read with a wide grin, it helps, trust me. ;)
> 
> Thanks to issy for the beta!


End file.
